C-Questra and RepAir Carbon launch EU's first onshore direct air capture and storage project

C-Questra, a Dutch carbon storage startup, has joined forces with US company RepAir Carbon to develop the European Union's first onshore Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS) project in France. 

C-Questra is a European startup and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage operator specialising in the CO2 storage value chain empowering sustainable industrial efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This project is the first onshore Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) project of its kind in the EU which eliminates the need for expensive midstream and offshore infrastructure. It also uses a heat-free, ultra-modular electrochemical technology — provided by RepAir — which reduces energy consumption by 70 per cent compared to conventional DAC solutions by relying solely on electricity. 

Conventional DAC solutions are criticised for their high energy consumption, which results in prohibitive costs at scale. Additionally, these systems rely on solvents and sorbents that require regular replacement and introduce potential health and safety risks. In contrast, 

RepAir's approach is a groundbreaking innovation that requires only electricity. This technology provides an efficient, cost-effective, safe, and scalable solution for atmospheric CO2 removal.

This new partnership creates the first DACS value chain on French soil that enables co-location of capture and storage facilities reducing midstream infrastructure needs. 

The project is in Grandpuits, near Paris, where C-Questra has applied for a permit to develop an onshore CO2 storage site. By 2030, the goal is to remove 100,000 tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere, scaling up megatons by 2035. This large-scale carbon removal is considered essential by experts to significantly reduce atmospheric CO2 levels.

The collaboration also includes a commitment to explore local manufacturing opportunities in the Île-de-France region, thus creating new green jobs, and developing similar DACS projects in other EU countries. 

"This is setting a new standard for efficient, scalable carbon removal in Europe," said Jean-Philippe Hiegel, Head of Strategy and Growth at RepAir Carbon. 

"The combination of our technology, which uses just 0.6 MWh per ton of CO2 captured - compared to 2.5 MWh for most competitors, and C-Questra’s unique set of carbon storage expertise, addresses a key barrier to widespread DACS adoption. This is incredibly exciting given global decarbonisation needs.”

"As one of the few CO2 storage companies operating independently from the fossil fuel industry, C-Questra offers the paramount safety, permanence and sustainability needed to rapidly advance CCS projects in Europe," said Walid Sinno, Founder and CEO of C-Questra. 

"Our partnership with RepAir allows us to demonstrate Europe’s ability to mature onshore direct air capture and storage projects. This is important to balance the momentum created by the US Inflation Act and resurface Europe as a leader in the CDR space.”